


The Kings' Favorite Place

by Softlight



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Again, Everyone is naked, Fluff, M/M, No Sexual Content, just really intense innuendos, mention of death of loved one, mention of past injuries, there's oil, this is the most self indulgent and fluffy thing i have ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 20:50:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7860637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Softlight/pseuds/Softlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laurent's first summer in Ios, and Damen has some things to show his husband.</p><p>They have a beach day and it's a completely self-indulgent piece of fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Kings' Favorite Place

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone is happy here and I honestly don't know how that happened. So… enjoy?

“Remind me again why you’re covering me in oil?” Laurent grumbled, begrudgingly allowing his husband to rub olive oil into his skin.

“Because you’re paler than a sheet, and this will help to keep you from burning.  Your skin is just so sensitive, I’d rather be safe than sorry,” he replied, drizzling more down his back.  Laurent shivered, the oil slick on his skin.  

“Why aren’t you putting it on then?” he asked crossly, barely resisting the urge to cross his arms.  “If I have to go through this, so do you.”

Damen laughed, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze.  “I’m making sure that you’re covered completely before I put some on.  And I don’t need this as much as you do,” he finished, rubbing the oil into his buttlocks and thighs.  Laurent flushed red, grimacing. 

“I still don’t understand why you insist on bathing outside in the nude,” he grumbled.  

“Don’t you Veretians bathe naked, or do you bathe all laced up?” Damen teased, not looking up from his task.  “And the water is warm.  There’s nothing like bathing outside in summer.  You’re going to love it.”

“You people have no decency,” he said, patiently waiting for Damen to finish up.  “Do you need me to cover you?”

“Ah, yes, us Akielons, absolutely no decency,” he agreed, squeezing Laurent’s hip and pulling him in close.  “Absolutely  _ depraved _ .”  Laurent swatted him with a glare, and Damen promptly released.  “And I think I can cover myself, unless you’d like to help me,” he ceded with a smirk.  Laurent rolled his eyes.

“I think I can trust you with this,” he cooed, rubbing his slick arms.  Gods, he was absolutely drenched in oil.  “Did you really have to put this much on though?”

“No, I just like the image,” Damen piqued, to which Laurent slapped his shoulder.  “Joking, well, mostly joking.  It really does help with preventing the burns.  The look is only a bonus.”  He tossed his hair, giving Laurent a teasing smile.  “Isn’t it?”

“As long as you’re not going to wrestle some other animal in the sand, like the  _ last time  _ you were naked and covered in oil, then yes, I’ll consider it a bonus,” he replied, a twinkle in his eyes.  Damen rolled his eyes, clapping Laurent on the back.

“There we go.  Now, come on, you’re going to love it, I promise,” he insisted, leaving the cannister of oil in the sand and pulling Laurent towards the sea.  Laurent groaned, following the giant animal he called husband to the water.

The water brushed at his toes, and he hissed.  “You said it was warm!” he protested, snatching his hand back from Damen’s grip.  

“It’s warmer deeper in.  Get in deeper, and then give yourself a minute to get used to it.”  Laurent squeezed his eyes shut, quickly descending until the waves were hitting his hips.  “Better?”

“Not really,” he admitted, squeezing Damen’s outstretched hand.  “Remind me why we’re doing this again?”

“Because,” Damen began, pulling Laurent closer to him, “it’s tradition, and one that you’ll like if you ever get over being cold.”

“And what does this tradition consist of?” Laurent asked, leaning into Damen’s warmth. 

“Well, we mostly just meet here, in the palace of Ios, to receive reports on the land and whatnot.  From there, we celebrate the solstice with grand feasts and dancing.  Lots and lots of dancing.  The beach becomes quite popular during the day, some enjoy the water while others compete in sports.  Nikandros has been talking of nothing for weeks but crushing me in wrestling,” he explained, twirling Laurent’s hair between his fingers.

Laurent raised an eyebrow.  “So there  _ is  _ more naked oil wrestling.”  Damen smiled sheepishly.

“Yes, but not today.  Today is simply enjoying the water and each other’s company.”  He pulled Laurent close, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.  “The water should help your shoulder, I should mention.”

Laurent rolled his shoulder, immediately conscious of the soreness and the prominent scar.  “You think?” he asked wearily, glancing at the shimmering water lapping up at his abdomen.

“Oh,  _ I know _ .  This water is known for its healing properties.  Something in it helps to relax whatever pain you might feel.  It’s helped me several times in the past.”  Damen looked back towards the beach, a distant smile on his face.  “That was part of the reason my mother loved the summer palace.  It’s a place of healing, of pure relaxation.  She’d bring me here and teach me things princes didn’t have to know.  Like, how to find the best orange on the tree, or the best way to sneak them back to the palace.”

“I didn’t know you liked oranges,” he replied lightly.  “Or that there were orange groves here.”  Damen shrugged.

“I haven’t eaten them in a very long time.  After her death, they just tasted like ash.  I had them last four years ago.”  He spoke plainly, not bothering to hide any of the truth.  He always spoke plainly, with a purpose.  He didn’t bother with trickery, Damen was the sort of man who told things like they were.  “I can take you to one, later.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Laurent agreed, rubbing his thumb into Damen’s hand before lacing their fingers together.  “So, we’re in the water.  What do we do now?”  Damen’s face exploded into a smile. 

“Well, I suppose I could always do _ this _ !” he laughed, picking Laurent up and throwing him over his shoulder.  Laurent sighed, putting his red face in his hands.

“Damen.  Put.  Me.  Down,” he gritted, not bothering to fight it.   Damen spun around, his laughter loud and clear.  He carried Laurent in a little deeper, holding him tight.  There was no chance of him slipping, and, as exposed as he was, it was nice to be held.  Even though Damen’s shoulder was digging in painfully to his hip.

“How well can you swim?” Damen asked, wadding far deeper than he had any right to.

“Depends,” he replied crossly.  “Where are we swimming?”

“There’s a cave a little ways out.”  Damen pointed to a spot off the coast, not as far as he had dread.  “Think you can make it?”

“Yes, I’m quite confident I can make it,” he said dryly.  Damen put him down, eyes shining bright.

He kissed his forehead before diving into the crystalline waters.  Laurent sighed before resigning himself to following his husband.

The water was warmer, and it felt good to swim.  He hadn’t done so in ages, what with his uncle and all the planning…  But that didn’t matter.  He could swim now, and as often as he wished.  Well, at least while he was there.

Laurent pulled himself through the water, Damen not too far ahead of him.  They reached the cave within a few minutes, leaving Laurent more winded than he cared to admit.  

Damen extended his hand, the water just barely skimming the tops of Damen’s thighs.  Meaning Laurent was in up to his stomach.  “Are you ready?” he asked, squeezing Laurent’s hand tightly.  There was such unrestrained  _ joy _ in his husband’s face, and it was infectious.  His lips twitched, attempting a large smile.

“I suppose we’ll find out,” he said, striding into the cave.  Damen trailed behind, urging him forwards.  “What am I looking- oh.”

Not even fifty feet into the cave, the roof soared upwards into a circular dome, the top portion missing to reveal the blue sky.  The dome itself, apparently carved into the earth, was covered in glossy stones, glinting in the sunlight.  The stones’ color when combined with the sunbeams created colored light that flowed to the watery floor.  

The walls were a combination of the colored stones and smooth marble, the colors leaving him speechless.  The stones, he realized, formed images, beautiful mosaics with rich color and detail unlike that he had ever seen.  There were colors he had never seen, but perhaps only dreamed, from the richest red to the palest blue.  He was caught in a whirlwind of color and light.

The gentle waves provided constant sound, echoing off and up the walls until there was nothing but the music of the sea in his ears.  He took a step further, the sandy floor turning to smooth stone.  Laurent looked down, and there was yet another mosaic on the floor.

He could’ve fallen to his knees, he was so overwhelmed.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Damen whispered, his voice echoing up the the sky.  Laurent nodded, at a loss for words.  “My mother thought it to be an abandoned part of an old palace, somehow sunken beneath the earth.  I’ve never shown anyone this.”

“It’s incredible,” he whispered back, reaching for his husband’s hand but his eyes never leaving the art.  There was so much to absorb, so much to revel in…  “Do we have to leave anytime soon?”  Damen chuckled.

“Eventually, yes.  But we can stay for a while longer.”  Laurent carefully sat down, the water now brushing his collarbones.  Damen joined him, eyes never leaving the art.  “It’s my favorite place in Ios, perhaps all of Akielos.”

Laurent laced their fingers together, tearing his gaze away from the art to stare at Damen’s starstruck face.

“I think it’s my favorite place, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact, olive oil has an SPF of roughly 8 and has been used as sunscreen in the past. So there was a point to having them covered in oil. :P


End file.
